Postpartum Exercise~ Tips and Exercise to Try at Home

Having a baby is the greatest joy in our lives. A baby brings a lot of surprises, one of the biggest for me was how weak my core really felt. I went into pregnancy in pretty good shape and after watching celeb after celeb on Instagram snap back I figured it would be a breeze. I was WRONG! Not only was I exhausted, my core felt like someone ran a truck into it. I was in this awful place of wanting to be with my baby, exercise and SLEEP! We spoke with Ken Breath, PT at OrthoCarolina for some tips on slowly starting back to working out your core and how to involve your baby in the process~ The first thing Ken recommends is to take your time, don’t rush and above everything else listen to your body.

- Always consult MD prior to beginning workouts postpartum
- No abdominal crunches until cleared, esp after C-section.
-Begin slow and progress as able/tolerated. Isometric contractions first (short hold then release without movement), progress to stronger holds as tolerated (such as planks/ squat-holds) then once a base level of strength progress to concentric/movement activities such as crunches
- It can take several months postpartum or longer if breastfeeding for all of the ligaments to return to pre-pregnancy, normalized lengths (tighten back up) so avoid high impact activities and quick change of direction movements.
- Work on stability (core and balance) before power or heavy resistance exercises.
- Balance is typically poor after delivery due to the sudden change in weight and center of gravity switch.

Each of the following exercise will gently work the core after you've had a baby and can be done easily with your baby near by. Don't over do it, this not a race for a six pack, these exercises are designed to start to retrain the muscles and bring their memory back.

   

Side leg lifts

 

    

Bridge Leg Lifts



Simple Plank